Sigmundur Ernir Rúnarsson, the editor of the Icelandic newspaper Fréttablaðið, won’t apologise to the Russian Embassy following a recent article, reports Vísir.
The article in question features a photo of a person stepping on the Russian flag, with a caption “Ukrainians have found a new use for the Russian flag.”
Screenshot/Fréttablaðið
According to the Russian Embassy in Iceland, the picture is an insult to the Russian Federation. “We consider the fact of publishing of such a photo alone in one of the major Icelandic media as a manifest of uncovered disrespect towards the Russian Federation and its state symbols,” says the statement of the Embassy.
Sigmundur Ernir Rúnarsson said that the editorial board of Fréttablaðið doesn’t intend to apologise for the photo. “There is nothing holy in a war where children, mothers, old people are killed, and entire communities are destroyed. There, the flag is almost secondary, as flags are trampled in many places around the world in protest,” says Sigmundur. “I think that the Russians should, first of all, think about treating other nations around them properly, rather than whining about a picture in Fréttablaðið.”
Valur Gunnarsson, Fréttablaðið’s interviewee in the article, has commented on the post on Facebook, saying: “So I guess I won’t be going back to Russia any time soon. Not that I have to change my holiday plans or anything.”
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